Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients
The Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients was the title held by the leader of the Order of the Ancients in Great Britain during the Middle Ages. The Grand Maegester's chief purpose was to oversee the operations of the Order's different branches and guide them towards furthering the Order's overarching objectives.
History[edit | edit source]
During the 9th century, the rank was held by members of the House of Wessex. After King Æthelwulf's death in 858, King Ælla of Northumbria, another high-ranking Order member, was in line to inherit the Grand Maegester position. However, due to Ælla's demise at the hands of the Great Heathen Army in 867, the title passed down to Æthelwulf's son Æthelred I, who had succeeded him as King of Wessex.[1]
Following Æthelred's death in 871, his younger brother Alfred succeeded him as both King of Wessex and Grand Maegester. Unlike his father and brother, however, Alfred resented the Order for its heretical beliefs and sought to bring about its collapse.[1] Working under the pseudonym of "A Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ", he manipulated the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir into helping him achieve his goal, rendering the Order in Great Britain extinct and the title of Grand Maegester obsolete by 878.[2]
Known Grand Maegesters[edit | edit source]
-
Æthelwulf, King of Wessex
? – 858 -
Æthelred I, King of Wessex
c. 865 – 871 -
Alfred the Great
871 – c. 873
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The title of Grand Maegester uses an Old English spelling of the Latin word Magister, which means "teacher" or "master", and serves as a linguistic prelude to the current title of Grand Master used to denote a Templar Rite's leader.
Although Arthur Pendragon was a leader of the Order of the Ancients in Great Britain during the early 6th century,[3] it is unknown if he held the title of Grand Maegester.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
- Discovery Tour: Viking Age
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers
- The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Poor Fellow-Soldier
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Breaking the Order
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #5: "Instruments of Power"
